The case against Bill Cosby has been tried in the court of public opinion in Hollywood, and the industry came back with a guilty verdict. When it came to trying the actor in a Pennsylvania court for sexual assault, the jury couldn’t reach a unanimous decision.
More:Bill Cosby Attempts to Look Sympathetic at His Trial With Cosby Show Cast
They were deadlocked with two members of the jury holding out on a guilty verdict on two counts: digital penetration without consent and giving drugs to the victim without her knowledge. Only one juror found him guilty on the charge that Andrea Constand was unconscious and unaware during the event, the rest voted to acquit.
One of the jurors spoke to ABC News and revealed that the deliberations were stressful, with emotions running high and hot. It was not an easy time for anyone on the panel.
The jury was initially deadlocked after 30 hours of deliberations, but the judge asked them to continue in hopes that they would reach a unanimous verdict. After 22 additional hours, the group came to the same deadlocked result.
“There was no budging and there was none from there on out,” explained the juror to ABC News.
More:Bill Cosby’s Sexual Assault Trial Is Putting His Paranoia in Overdrive
Emotions also ran high because jurors were moved to a small room when sheriff’s deputies noticed that reporters could see through the windows of the conference room they were originally placed in. The second room was so small, the jurors “couldn’t even pace.”
When jurors are making important decisions on high-profile cases, it’s hard to believe that this was the only room option for the group. The judge wanted a resolution to the case, but instead, the jurors were “losing their minds.”
The juror continued, “People would just start crying out of nowhere, we wouldn’t even be talking about [the case] — and people would just start crying.”
At one point a male juror even punched the concrete wall and broke his pinky knuckle while sheriff’s deputies monitored the heated discussions from outside the door. They knew that trouble was brewing.
More:New Cosby Unraveled Podcast Plans to Explore the Inner Workings of Bill Cosby
The conditions the jurors endured hardly made for an ideal situation. If the accommodations had been larger or allowed the jurors some space to think about the decision, it may have created a different outcome.
It’s important that the anonymous juror gave the public this insight. While many will still find it hard to imagine that the Cosby jury couldn’t come to a decision, it allows for a bit of understanding as to what they endured.
Maybe next time the court will improve the conditions for jurors and get a concrete decision on the serious charges against Cosby.
Leave a Comment